While the infamous imageboard’s ties to mass shootings have long been clear, its relationship with a Japanese toymaker has remained remarkably murky. Over the past 19 years, the imageboard 4chan has been tied to Gamergate, the inception of QAnon, the incubation of a particular brand of online racism, and a raft of domestic terror attacks that have killed scores of people. Tragically, references an
![Who Owns 4chan?](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/c0313c7202c5bd061b0eca60ae41e18ad56b857f/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.wired.com%2Fphotos%2F628e59db616e0f74943c26c6%2F191%3A100%2Fw_1280%2Cc_limit%2Fwho%2520owns%25204chan%25201300226708.jpg)